Guided clamps for quick easy opening and closing of dispenser outlet

ABSTRACT

This invention relates to a novel device for small, extremely flexible thin film plastic bags having short flat dispenser outlets, thereby making it possible to easily grasp and squeeze it open while shearing off a tack-welded sealed outlet, and when up-ended, can, for some easy-flow products, regulate its flow; all done using only one hand; said device may be inserted within, and bonded therein to the thin film chamber walls of plastic bags having conventional simple reclosable outlets; or incorporated during the original fabrication of the thin film plastic bag, particularly those having “Zip-Loc” or equal interlocking closure joints, with the usual alignment problems; said simple device consists of a pair of nested flexible and resilient plastic curved quadrant clamps with novel guide mouth attachments which makes it possible to squeeze the thin gauge film chamber walls manually for opening and for dispensing when up-ended, which upon release of the squeeze effort, automatically self closes to form a dust tight seal; said nested clamps may be tack-welded at its outlet for protection against pilfering of contents which, upon the initial squeeze-to-open operation by the customer shears for dispensing; novel improvements for making the curved clamps more than dust tight are offered, along with closure outlets that do not require scissor cutting or so-called easy tear sealed closures.

CROSS REFERRENCE TO THE RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application relates to the “Self-Closing Valve With Tamper EvidentLip Seal Tab” Ser. No. 07/08/88, U.S. Pat. No. 4,917,267 granted Apr.17, 1990, and to a continuation in part of U.S. patent application Ser.No. 10/033,640 which is a continuation in part of Ser. No. 09/010151,both which will be superceded upon approval of this application.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention pertains to the elimination of the usual time consumingproblems, experienced with opening and occluding conventional flexibleplastic bag dispenser outlets, particularly those having reclosableinterlocking joints, and tear- to-open sealed outlets, by substitutingnovel devices, for quick opening, and automatic self-closing thedispenser outlet of conventional pre-manufactured flexible bags, ortheir integration with newly manufactured thin film flexible plasticbags by using the profile extrusion process.

Plastic bags provided with this novel “QUICK EASY OPENING AND CLOSINGDISPENSER OUTLET”, can dispense while in the up-ended position, bymanually squeezing its longitudinal outlet using only one hand; byplacing its thumb at one end and fingers at the opposing end of saidlongitudinal outlet, when upon release of the squeeze effort,automatically self closes the plastic bag outlet. This novel device canbe made from a flexible, resilient thermoplastic such as Low DensityPolyethylene plastic, or equal, as an independent unit, for adding toexisting standard thin gauge film flexible plastic bags, or as anintegral part of a newly made thin gauge film plastic bag, with orwithout, another reclosable male and female interlocking joint, thelikes of “Zip Loc” or equal, for added security. Depending upon theproduct stored and its intended market, the desired bag size and openinglength will vary, and for this invention, is generally limited to thespan between thumb and fingers required for squeezing, approx. 6 inches,however for easy squeeze 4 inches, which further shortens after bagfilling causing flat bag edges to taper inwardly, Larger bags can beprovided with small bag opening lengths under five inches, to permitdispensing, in any feasible manner at the top, bottom, side,cater-cornering, or instead make the quick easy opening and closingdispenser outlet full length, to match the larger bag length, for a twohand manual dispensing operation However, for easy pouring while holdingbag with only one hand, the most practical size appears to be in thesmaller sizes under 5 inches in length

This invention relies upon structural design features that enables theinherent memory of the plastic material used, such as Low DensityPolyethylene, or its equivalent, to perform this invention's novelsqueeze to open and self closing dispenser outlet operation, and retainits ability to flex and seal for several hundred repeated operations.

The ideas for developing this new invention were developed from theexperience gained, selling and manufacturing small squeeze-to-openplastic pill boxes, made by thermoforming pre-molded cylindrical plasticvials based on U.S. Pat. No. 4,917,257 granted the applicant of thisapplication. Research for improving the manufacturing, led to theconclusion that the profile extrusion process often used to make plasticbags with thin gauge plastic sheets integrally with “Zip-Loc” or equal,interlocking male and female elements, further led to solving theiropening and closing interlocking problems per the following novelstructural features.

There are many structural features, that make this invention perform;one of the more important being, the two short thick guide mouth pieces,each attached longitudinally to match the length of their related maleand female curved quadrant clamps outlet, which when nested and incontact with one another, said short thick guide mouth pieces form anapproximate 90 degree jaw inlet angle, symmetrically aligned crosswise,the full length of the mouth inlet of the nested clamps, which whensuperimposed for assembly and fastening to the side edges of the plasticbag, said 90 degree jaw inlet angle is compressed into a much smallerangle to form a bulge at the vertical mid section within the chamber ofthe assembled and sealed thin gauge plastic bag, which gradually taperslaterally to 0 degrees towards the opposing ends of the fastened shortthick guide mouth pieces; said bulge within the plastic bag is formed,when the edges of the superimposed bag sheets are joined together,thereby forcing the short thick guide mouth pieces to bend, and form ahighly stressed almost elliptical shape, parallel to and across thelength of the bag opening, with its inherent plastic memory ready toflex back into said short guide mouth pieces' original flat shape, butinstead, exerts its built-in flex pressure within the plastic bag'schamber walls, to keep the curved male and female portions of thelongitudinal curved quadrant clamps nested in contact with one another,to form a dust tight seal after each squeeze-to-open operation of thesimple longitudinal curved outlet slot, or to any other reclosable maleand female interlocking joint that may be added for a tighter seal ifpreferred. Tests have shown that the thickness of the short guide mouthextension pieces must be approx. {fraction (1/32)} inch for bag openingsof between 3 and 5 inches in length to prevent distortion and tendencyto flex and bend in unison, thus making it impossible to open and formthe desired dispenser outlet. Incidentally, depending upon the bagopening length, there may be enough squeeze power to unlock a “Zip-Loc”type reclosable interlocking joint for dispensing.

Another important structural feature of this unique invention, is thecurved portion of the clamps, herein specified as, quadrant shaped,should retain its shape when profile extruded, whereas when thermoformedfrom pre-molded parts, the curved portion of the clamps slightlyflattens, due to the tendency of the plastic's memory to return to itsoriginal pre-molded shape, enough to lessen its closure sealing ability.This thermoforming tendency was offset by increasing the curve arclengths of the male and female clamps beyond the 90 degree quadrant to{fraction (13/16)} inch for a ¼ inch contact surface radius formaintaining a dust tight seal between the nested portion of the curvedclamps, which for some products may not be sufficient. For thesereasons, this invention includes alternate reclosable closurearrangements shown and described under the Brief Description of theDrawings section of this application, which includes the preferredarrangement by inserting the simple dust tight curved quadrant dispenserassembly within an existing pre-manufactured flexible plastic bag havinga simple clear line single track seal top seal with short sleeve outlet,made by ELKAY Plastics Co. or equal, that can be tack welded at its midpoint to enable the customer to shear off the tack weld, upon theinitial squeeze to open dispenser operation, thus giving an additionaltighter seal when needed, plus added protection against pilferingproduct.

As stated before, said profile extrusion process is often used to makeplastic bags with thin gauge plastic film sheets integrally extrudedwith “Zip-Loc” or equal, reclosable male and female interlocking joints,to form two separate ribbons, one ribbon being a male profile assembly,consisting of the plastic bag film, and the curved quadrant clamp withguide mouth extension; the other ribbon being its counterpart femaleassembly, each ribbon; cut-to suit the bag opening length desired, thensuperimposed for nesting and alignment of the curved quadrant clamp endsfor sealing said ends, and edges of the superimposed plastic sheetsalong their corresponding edges except at the edge along which is formedthe open end of the bag. The aforesaid summarizes the construction ofthe finished product, and can be made in any manner known to thoseskilled in the art. For example, along the edges of the superimposedmale and female cut ribbon assemblies, the plastic thickness varies inthickness, some which is too thick for conventional hot wire welding andmay require special treatment such as possibly heating jaws shaped tothe outline of the plastic bag. Consideration can also be given to usingself adhesive plastic tape to join the edges of the superimposedribbons, which has been successfully used for making prototype plasticbag test assemblies.

Prototypes for easy to open self closing plastic bag assemblies, havingopenings of 3 inches or 4 inches were made for testing performance andreliability of this invention, using the thermoforming process, prior tospending time and money on dies for profile extrusion. The followingprocedure used for making the prototypes, may be improved upon in anymanner known to those skilled in the art for making productionfacilities based upon this invention, and the use of the profileextrusion method. The following is the manner in which thin gauge LDPEsqueeze-to-open self closing 4 inch opening plastic bag prototypes weremade:

Cut two 4 inch by 2⅜ inch pieces each {fraction (1/32)} inch thick lowdensity polyethylene plastic; place them facing each other with edgesparallel, and fasten the opposing 2⅜ inch wide edges with 2 inch wideself adhesive Scotch tape, or equal; then impulse hot wire weld bothsides of the overlapped tape and also at its opposing taped edge;thermoform said assembled pieces for making the curved quadrant clampsand oval shaped guide mouth attachments; insert said thermoformedassembly into a 4 inch 0.006 inch LDPE film flat plastic bag, having astandard lightweight reclosable single track seal until lined up andadjacent to the clamps curved slotted outlet lips, which then may betack welded at the mid point of the bag's outlet lips to serve as ashipping seal and protection against pilfering product, which may beripped open by the customer for dispensing; much easier than tearing orscissor cutting full length. Inserting the assembled curved quadrantclamps with its oval shaped guide mouth attachment is done by foldingthe assembly for insertion within the opened plastic bag, therebycausing the bag to bulge when said assembly is unfolded and form a snugfit at the inside edges of the bag, which requires bonding the assemblyto the plastic bag to prevent misalignment; done by hot wire weldingfull length of bag opening, on both sides of the plastic bag below andadjacent to the mouth inlet of the curved clamps, Flat LDPE plastictubing may be used instead of plastic bags which will eliminate weldingof side edges but will however require bottom seal welding.

The above method of making prototypes may be used for low productiondemands by small packaging companies.

From the aforegoing, it is obvious, this invention's method ofdispensing snacks from an up-ended plastic bag; having a quick easysqueeze-to-open self-closing outlet; employing only one hand may begreatly appreciated, especially by arthritics, and those driving and/ortelecommunicating. Therefore, this invention relates to mainly bags,that can be held in one hand for dispensing from outlets ranging 1 to 5inches in length, made using low density polyethylene or polypropylenethin film plastic ranging in thickness from 0.006 to 0.00075 inches.

2. Description of the Prior Art

It is acknowledged that many efforts have been made to facilitate theopening of plastic bags, particularly those having the likes of“Zip-Loc” reclosable interlocking male and female joints suggesting theuse of stiffeners and even color coding, to assist and/or identify whensaid closure is occluded, as per the following briefs from a few patentabstracts:

SCHEIBNER U.S. Pat. No. 4,363,345: “A reclosable container featuresridges near the opening of the container to provide improved gripping ofthe container by the user during the opening and loading of thecontainer”

AUSNIT U.S. Pat. No. 3,565,147 “A pair of stiffener ribs is formedintegrally with the bag but of a thermoplastic material more rigid thanthat from which the bag is formed to provide increased lateral rigidityalong the open end of the bag to prevent inadvertent separation of theinterlocking elements.”

WILLIAMS U.S. Pat. No. 4,917,321 “An interlocking closure device wherebythe closing and opening of the closure is more easily detected by visualinspection” Needless to say the novel quick easy opening self-closingdevice specified herein solves most of the above problems. The followingare briefs of prior patents with comments as to why they differ from theinvention patent applied for herein:

U.S. Pat. No. 3,315,849 (HERZIG) discloses a collapsible tube typecontainer having a flattened bent neck opening part that requires ametal clip fastener to keep the plastic lips in the bent position fordischarging the likes of toothpaste and viscous materials by applyingpressure to the container. Needless to say it can not be used for freeflow discharge of solid material when up-ended for dispensing.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,610,477 (HERZIG) discloses a squeeze bottle having anautomatic closure. The automatic closure is the result of forming theend of the container, as by heat sealing. Different embodiments aredisclosed, such as reinforcing ribs for the closure, a clip which fitsover the container outlet, and nested curves formed in panels at theoutlet, designed for expelling liquids only, and also can not dischargesolid materials when up-ended.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,252,257 (HERZIG) discloses a container having apinch-off fold at an outlet. Discharge of the container requires the useof pressure being applied at its different areas. When the pressure isreleased, the outlet closes automatically due to internal pressure ofthe material within the container. The discharge of material requirestwo hands, with the fingers of one hand applying pressure at a specificarea to cause the discharge opening to open and then pressure on thecontainer for discharging the contents Liquids only may be dischargedfrom the apparatus since the internal pressure of the liquids isrequired to maintain the seal. Also like the above HERZIG patents cannot be up-ended to discharge solid materials.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,555,686 ( DOUGHERTY) discloses a drop dispenserapparatus with a patent configuration of seal elements or valves at thedischarge portion of the apparatus. As with the Herzig U.S. Pat. No.4,252,257, the apparatus is designed only for discharging liquids, andthe apparatus is specifically designed for discharging drops of liquids.The container is deformable, and pressure is applied to the container todischarge the liquid drops only; therefor can not be used for dischargeof dry solids.

U.S. Pat. No. 2,663,461 (F. E. BROWN) discloses a small type capsule fordispensing metered quantities of viscous pharmaceutical materials, byapplying external pressure or from the dead weight of the materialwithin the container for dispensing through the small orifice at itdispenser lips, and therefor also can not be used for discharge of drysolids.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,330,312 (T. PARADY) discloses a reservoir that ismountable in each cell of a battery and accordingly maintains the liquidlevel therein at its proper level depending therefrom upon a generallywedge shaped spout with a narrow opening which depends upon the weightof the liquid therein to provide a metered flow which obviously can notdischarge dry solids.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,163,509 (AMNEUS) discloses a narrow curled flexiblespout having a flat slotted outlet that tapers away from a flexiblemetering chamber that discharges liquids when pressure is applied to thetube walls. The curled slotted outlet tapers inwardly which makes itimpossible to self close if discharging dry solids were possible.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,342,318 (H. S. RUEKBERG) discloses a novel containerhaving a slotted outlet with soft rubber gasket for making a selfsealing closure, said closure is defined by a flexible housing having atop wall, an elongated slot in the top wall, the slot terminating atopposite ends and being adapted to form a dispensing opening uponapplication of opposed forces to the housing adjacent the slot ends, andthe dispensing container being of a one piece molded construction, saidapparatus discharge outlet slot is limited to the discharge of the likesof pills and possibly candy such as M & Ms etc. and not for dischargingthe usual bulky items stored in plastic bags such as French Fries,sausage, shredded salads, dried fruit, wrapped candy etc. etc. etc..Furthermore, the narrow slotted outlet being in the flat portion of thecontainer housing, when standing up-right does not provide access forhand picking product from the container, nor when up ended fordispensing product will restrict flow and conceivably plug the outlet.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,773,233 (SOUZA) discloses a narrow flat outletconsisting of two concave curved flexible plastic sheets facing oneanother and in contact to form the self-closing dispenser outletdesigned to discharge viscous material by applying manual pressure tothe flexible container body; which upon release of said pressure selfcloses. As stated in the first paragraph of SOUSA's patent is directedfor dispensing only viscous material and therefor not designed tocompete with quick opening and self-closing plastic bag outlets, capableof hand picking product when opened in the up-right position or itsdischarge of solids when up-ended.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,727,593 (DUER) discloses a valve having nested curvedquadrant clamps exactly the same as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,917,267granted to me (LAVERDURE) almost 8 years prior to the approval of DUER'Spatent, and therefor, may not be considered as a prior art to my patent;and furthermore, upon first observation, seems to be an infringement,but again upon further review appears not to be, for the followingreasons. DUER's patent discloses an item used to prevent back flow intocity streets from flooded rivers that often contain sewerage, that maybe as large as six feet or more in diameter, and therefor not intendedto be built as a dispenser outlet from a portable hand held container;furthermore, it is constructed differently without using thermoplasticmaterial such as low density polyethylene, whereas DUER's curved outletcomprises of two lips which are opposed to each other and which arepre-formed to define a curvilinear bill, said lips are preferably of onelayer of an unreinforced elastomer material one layer of a reinforcedelastomer material and a cover. The lips are preferably pre-formed byvulcanization to form a “C” shaped bill. Needless to say, it can not beused for dispensing product from a thin film plastic flexible bag.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,917,267 (LAVERDURE) discloses a cylindrical containerhaving a self-closing valve portion thermoformed and shaped by clamping,heating and compressing the container's elongated discharge outletnozzle until it outwardly tapers to an adjoining widened, flattened,smooth curved quadrant discharge slot, which when manually squeezedlaterally, at its thick walled tapered container outlet, opens fordispensing; and upon release self closes.

Said thermoformed curved quadrant outlet slot as described above, cannot be used for dispensing product from a flat flexible thin filmplastic bag having its chamber walls ranging from between 0.00075 and0.006 inches thickness, rather, than from the aforementioned heavywalled cylindrical container. This is mentioned to pin point the majordifference between LAVERDURE's original patent and this new application,which is the addition of thick guide mouth attachment pieces adjacent toand below to the mouth portion of the nested curved quadrant clamps toassist the flat plastic bag's flexible film transmit the squeeze powernecessary to force the clamps elongated slot outlet to open whenmanually squeezed for dispensing. Other major differences are; the useof the profile extrusion method rather than the thermoforming process;the addition of the guide mouth attachment pieces to “Zip-Loc” or equalreclosable male and female interlocking elements to keep them inalignment per FIG. 4; the ability to profile extrude the curved quadrantclamps and guide mouth attachments independently for fastening toexisting plastic bags or profile extrude them integrally to a completeassembly, includes reclosable slotted joints within the nested curvedportions of the male and female clamps per FIG. 4A and serrated edgeswithin the curved nested units per FIG. 5.

It is acknowledged that other types of closures for plastic bags havebeen made towards eliminating problems of misalignment, opening, closingsealing, shipping seals, tamper proofing, and durability such as“snap-back” of the closures to retain its tightness. About ten yearsexperience of selling and thermoforming a small squeeze-to-open selfclosing pill box made of low density polyethylene as defined above underU.S. Pat. No. 4,917,267 (LAVERDURE) has experienced that the closuredefined herein has satisfactorily performed the quick opening self-closing manual squeezing operation repeatedly for at least severalhundred cycles.

Regarding shipping seals and protection against pilfering of contentsmany attempts have been made which could succeed if one had the strengthto tear open such devices, which more often requires cutting with a pairof scissors. The squeeze-to-open self closing plastic bag herein definesa simple way of protecting bag contents against pilfering by simplyproviding the squeeze-to-open self-closing outlet with a standardconventional item referred to in the trade as a clear line single trackseal which is reclosable, and when located at the tip of the curvedclamp outlet may be opened along with the opening of the curved outletper the usual squeezing effort initially, thereafter depending upon thecustomer's wish which would require hand pressing along the single trackseal. For protection against pilfering contents, the outer lip sleeveportion of the seal track may tack welded at its mid point for a simpletear for easy discharge of products as defined under the making of 4inch wide plastic bag prototype

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention promotes the use of the profile extrusion process formanufacturing, rather than the thermoforming practice allowed under U.S.Pat. No. 4,917,267 granted to LAVERDURE for making only the curvedquadrant clamps portion of this novel invention which now requires theaddition of a guide mouth attachment to said curved quadrant clamps andrevisions thereto which includes new sealing joints plus modificationsto the “Zip-Loc” interlocking joint for elimination of misalignmentproblems, thus making it possible to dispense the contents of a plasticbag, with its chamber walls made from very thin film plastic which areunable to transmit the squeeze effort required for opening thisinvention's “guided clamps for quick easy opening and closing ofdispenser outlet.” Furthermore, using the profile extrusion method willspeed production, in that the practice of using pre-formed cylindricalplastic items for compressing into curved outlets via thermoforming maybe eliminated.

The following is a brief summary of the proposed profile extrusionmethod for integrating quick easy opening and closing devices withplastic bag film for the making of a complete squeeze-to-openself-closing plastic bag dispenser, which those familiar in the profileextrusion art may modify:

Extrude two ribbon assemblies;

-   -   A/ a male ribbon assembly consisting of the following parts:        -   1/ one a male ribbon consisting of the male portion of the            curved quadrant clamp with guide mouth attachment tapered to            match the thickness of the preferred plastic bag film            thickness,    -   2/ the plastic bag film portion        -   3/ the resilient shipping lip seal parts when selected        -   4/ the added reclosable interlocking elements when selected    -   B/ the other ribbon being a female assembly with matching male        counterparts. Each ribbon assembly cut to suit the bag opening        length desired, then superimposed for nesting and alignment of        the curved quadrant clamp ends and edges of the plastic bag film        portion for joining their corresponding edges, except at the        edge is formed the open end of the bag.

For improving the dispensing of product from thin film plastic bags thatare presently being manufactured and distributed, only the above listedItem 1, “the curved quadrant clamp with guide mouth attachment” need beprofile extruded for its fastening to presently made plastic bags.Furthermore, depending upon whether the plastic bag of choice has areclosable outlet, only the “guide mouth attachment” need be profileextruded for its fastening to the presently made reclosable portion ofthe plastic bag.

For short production runs, taping and hot wire welding a portion of thecurved quadrant clamps and guide mouth attachment for thermoforming maybe preferred as outlined in the making of 4 inch prototypes.

As stated above those familiar with the art of making profile extrusiondies may want to consider the likes of a die used for integrally formingan interlocking joint with a plastic bag per U.S. Pat. No. 3,565,147(AUSNIT)

This novel invention expects to ease the task of opening small up-endedplastic bags using only one hand for direct feeding to one's mouth forquick access to snacks, candy the likes of jelly beans and pills by busyindividuals away from home, in offices, telecommuticating or whiledriving a car, and most of all, by arthritics or handicapped

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1. Shows split elevation Section “A-A” for installation of thecurved quadrant clamps portion of the guide mouth on the outer part of apre-manufactured flexible plastic bag, and Section “B-B” for itsinstallation within and attached to the chamber walls of the flexibleplastic bag.

FIG. 1A is a split top view of FIG. 1 showing the guide mouthinstallation on the outer portion portion of the flexible plastic bagversus its installation within said flexible bag.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the top portion of a flexible plastic bagshowing the installation of the curved quadrant clamps with its guidemouth attachment inserted within a pre-manufactured flexible thin filmplastic bag provided with its own single track reclosable outlet withadded tack weld for additional shipping protection.

FIG. 2A is a side cross-sectional elevation of FIG. 2.

FIG. 2B is the top elevation of FIG. 2.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the curved quadrant clamps withits guide mouth attachment integrally formed as part of the thin filmplastic bag using the profile extrusion process.

FIG. 3A is a side elevation of FIG. 3 showing squeeze point locationsbetween arrows “X”-“X” with flat bag edges tapering inwardly to “Y”-“Y”.

FIG. 3B is the top elevation of FIG. 3.

FIG. 4 is a blow-up of a partial cross sectional view of the thin filmplastic bag chamber wall bonded to a typical “Zip-Loc” or equalreclosable interlocking male and female joint elements amended with thisinvention's guide mouth attachments for curing its typical misalignmentproblem.

FIG. 4A is a cross sectional elevation showing the curved portion of thequadrant clamps having a key shaped reclosable interlocking joint.

FIG. 5 is a blow-up of a partial cross sectional view of an alternatereclosable curved quadrant male and female clamps assembly, each profileextruded for {fraction (1/64)}^(th) inch intermeshing projectionsequally spaced and parallel to the longitudinal axis of the elongatedcurved quadrant clamps.

FIG. 6 is a front view showing a typical easy to open self closingdispenser outlet cater-cornered on to a large flexible plastic bag.

FIG. 6A is a front view showing a typical easy to open self closingdispenser outlet offset at the top of a large flexible plastic bag.

FIG. 6B is a front wiew showing a typical easy to open self closingdispenser outlet centered at the top tapering sides towards the largeflexible plastic bag.

FIG. 6C is a front view showing an easy to open self closing dispenseroutlet full length of the large flexible plastic bag.

FIG. 7 is a cross sectional view showing the curved quadrant clamps withshorter reinforced arc length than the full 90 degree unreinforcedcurved quadrant clamps.

FIG. 8A shows plastic bag up-ended ready to be manually opened.

FIG. 8B shows plastic bag open when manually squeezed.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The following embodiments describe novel ways to eliminate problems withopening and reclosing dispenser outlets of flexible thin film plasticbags, particularly those having “Zip-Loc”, or equal reclosable male andfemale interlockijng joints. Depending upon the contents to be storedwithin the flexible plastic bag most preferred embodiment appears to beFIG. 2 using pre-manufactured flexible bags having clear line singletrack seal top bags which protects during shipment and against pilferingof contents until the customer performs the initial squeeze to openoperation.

FIG. 1 is a split elevation of the top portion of a preformedconventional plastic bag 10 with standard reclosable closure 9 having abag opening under 6 inches in length; aided for opening and closing bythe addition of throat guide mouth attachments 17 and 18 when fusionwelded 7 at their opposing outer edges 22, with plastic bag 10 sheets 19and 20 causes said bag to taper 22′ downwardly from top bag dishargeopening; forms a throat 8 at mouth entry 16 at closure 9 which whendigitally squeezed at its lengthwise opposing ends opens closure 9; uponrelease of squeeze effort automatically guides the closure elements 9 toreseat at mouth 16; the right hand half of the split elevation showsthroat guide mouth attachments 17 and 18 fastened to the outside ofplastic bag 10, whereas the left hand elevation shows said attachmentsfastened on the inside of said plastic bag 10; section“A-A” shows bulge8; mouth 16 and the addition of short elongated portions 17′ and 18′ toattachments 17 and 18 to facilitate allignment for fusion weld 7 atopposing elongated ends; section “B-B” shows throat guide mouthattachments 17 and 18 on the inside portion of plastic bag 10 andjuncture at mouth 16.

FIG. 1A is a split view of the top portion of plastic bag 10 of FIG. 1;showing in the right hand half of the view mounting of throat guidemouth attachments 17 and 18 on the outer walls of plastic bag sheets 19and 20 and the location of weld 7 for bonding said 17 and 18 attachmentsto said plastic sheets 19 and 20; in the left hand half of the view themounting of throat guide mouth attachments 17 and 18 are on the insidewalls of plastic bag sheets 19 and 20 and the location of weld 7 forbonding said 17 and 18 attachments to said plastic sheets 19 and 20;both views show the outward bulge of said plastic bag sheets 19 and 20caused by adding throat guide mouth attachments 17 and 18 to a preformedplastic bag 10.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the top portion of a pre- manufacturedflexible thin film plastic bag 10 showing the addition of the maleportion 12 and female portion 11 of the curved quadrant clamps andadjoining guide mouth 17 and 18 attachments; fastened together at theiropposing longitudinal ends with self adhesive plastic tape 14 prior toinstallation within plastic bag 10 for a snug fit therein to retain theshape of bulge 8 formed upon insertion of the curved clamps 17 and 18and adjoining guide mouth attaahments 11 and 12, which causes the bagedges 22′ to taper at point of contact between guide mouth portions 11and 12 and plastic bag chamber walls; dispenser outlet is shown in theclosed position with tack weld 21 at mid point.

FIG. 2A. is a cross sectional side view of FIG. 2 showing the snug fitbetween bag 10 chamber walls 19 and 20 and the male portion 17 andfemale portion 18 of the nested curved quadrant clamps with adjoiningguide mouth 11 and 12 fastened together at opposing ends with selfadhesive plastic tape 14 with outlet lips of the curved quadrant clampsprotected for shipping by the pre-manufactured plastic bag's reclosableclosure 9 within its outlet lips 22 and 23 and seal weld.

FIG. 2B is a top elevation of FIG. 2 showing mainly the almostelliptical bulge 8 and the location of the sipping seal tack weld 21 atthe mid point of the outlet.

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view of the plastic bag assembly consistingof two separate plastic profile extruded ribbons, the male portionconsisting of male curved quadrant clamp 12, male throat guide mouthattachment 17; thin plastic film sheet 19 to the desired gauge thicknessfor assembly as shown with the following female profile extrudedcounterpart portions, female curved quadrant clamp 11, female throatguide mouth attachment 18, and thin plastic film sheet 20, each cut tosuit the bag opening length desired, then superimposed for nesting andalignment of the curved quadrant clamps 11 and 12; fusion welded attheir nested ends 13, and fusion welding the flat superimposed plasticfilm sheets along their corresponding edges 22 as shown on FIG. 3A theside view of FIG. 3 which also shows the elongated slotted outlet of thecurved quadrant clamps 11 and 12 for dispensing contents by applyingdigital force as shown by the ARROWS for opening the outlet.

FIG. 3B is a top view of FIG. 3 which pin-points the bulge 8 at thethroat section of the plastic bag 10 which occurs after the seam weldingat the outer edges 22 of the superimposed flat profile extruded thinfilm bag sheets 19 and 20; said thick throat guide mouth attachments 17and 18 when appropriately squeezed, as defined herein, guides the mouthof the nested curved quadrant clamps 11 and 12 to open, which uponrelease of the squeeze effort self closes, due to the additional plasticthickness of throat guide mouth attachments 17 and 18 gained by its userather than thin gauge plastic film sheets 19 and 20 0.006 inches andunder used for flexible plastic bags, thereby benefiting from theadditional inherent plastic memory of the low density polyethylene toregain its original flexible shape, which furthermore, said throat guidemouth attachments 17 and 18 withstand the tendency of the curvedquadrant clamps 11 and 12 to bend in unison without opening during thesqueeze to open operation.

FIG. 4 is a blow up view of a conventional “Zip-Loc” or equal reclosableinterlocking joint shown in phantom lines, fastened to thin film plasticsheets 31 and 32 of a standard plastic bag, with both male and femalestandard joints modified, during their original profile extrusions, toeliminate misalignment and distortion problems, as follows: to malejoint element 27 a closure guide mouth jut attachment 29 is added, andto female joint element 28 a closure guide mouth jut attachment 30 isadded. Depending upon the the plastic bag manufacturer, plastic sheets31 and 32 may be integrally prole extruded with individual jointelements 27 and 28, or else may be bonded together by other means formaking a complete plastic bag assembly capable of being quickly andeasily opened ready for manual reseating of the interlocking closureelements without misalignment.

FIG. 4A is a blow-up cross sectional view of a simple resilient plasticinterlocking joint with its knobby shaped male element 23 attached toand extending above the convex portion of the curved quadrant clamp 12and nested within its keyhole shaped female counterpart 24 imbeddedwithin the concave portion of the female curved quadrant clamp 11 whenin its occluded position showing the throat guide mouth attachments 17and 18 each extending from each of the nested curved quadrant clamps 11and 12 at its nested mouth portion to form the required throat portion 8for guiding the opening and closing of the nested joint during thesqueeze to open self closing dispenser operations, after its initialopening by the user, which tore off the tack weld 21 located at theoutlet's mid-point.

FIG. 5 is a blow up of a partial cross sectional view of a resilientreclosable joint which can be made during the profile extrusion of theindidual curved quadrant clamps, consisting of serrated notches runningfull length on each of the thick male 11 and female elongated curvedquadrant clamps each with saw like teeth 25 and 25 profile extruded as“V” shaped intermeshing teeth with 1/64 inch projections atop thethickness of the curved quadrant clamp's nested concave and convexsurfaces, equally spaced and parallel to the longitudinal axis of theelongated quadrant shaped curved clamps 11 and 12 to form a resilientintermeshing of teeth when nested in its occluded position ready foropening the dispenser outlet upon the initial squeeze to open operationby the user for tear off of the tack weld 21 located at the outlet'smid-point.

FIG. 6 is a front view showing a typical easy to open self closingcurved quadrant clamps 11 and 12 dispenser outlet cater-cornered on to alarge flexible plastic bag 10.

FIG. 6A is a front view showing a typical easy to open self closingcurved quadrant clamps 11 and 12 dispenser outlet offset at the top of alarge flexible plastic bag 10.

FIG. 6B is a front view showing a typical easy open self closing curvedquadrant clamps 11 and 12 dispenser outlet centered at the top, taperingsides 22 towards the large flexible plastic bag 10.

FIG. 6C is a front view showing an easy to open self closing curvedquadrant clamps 11 and 12 dispenser outlet full length of the larger bag10.

FIG. 7 is a cross sectional view of a flexible plastic bag 10 with guidemouth attachments 17 and 18 forming the throat portion 8 taperinginwardly towards the curved clamps 11 and 12; apparatus FIG. 7 differsin that the curved outlet portion 44 has a shorter arc length than thenested 12 and 11 curved 90 degree quadrant of FIG. 3 and that itrequires lip reinforcing 43 to attain the same plastic memory andresiliency.

FIG. 8A is perspective view of the upper portion of a flexible plasticbag 10 showing top portion of dispenser outlet female curved quadrantclamp 11; opposing bonded ends 13 for nested curved quadrant clamps 11and 12 as shown below in FIG. 8B; tack weld 21 at mid point oflongitudinal outlet lips; said flexible plastic bag 10, hand-held by 2,with thumb 3 and index finger 4 ready to apply necessary squeeze force,at a point adjacent to just below nested curved quadrant clamps' bondedends 13, in order to apply enough squeeze effort to shear tack-weld 21for dispensing contents from the consumer's initial squeeze to openoperation:

FIG. 8B is the same perspective shown above in FIG. 8A but, with topportion of flexible plastic bag 10 dispenser outlet in its open positionwith thumb 3 and index finger 4 applying the necessary squeeze forceeffort.

1. A prefabricated standard flexible thin film plastic bag having a bagoutlet 6 inches or under in length, improved upon for quick easydispensing, by inserting within said flexible thin film plastic bag,through its outlet opening an assembly, made of low density polyethyleneor equal, consisting of occluded male and female curved quadrant clamps,with adjoining stubby guide mouth attachments, running fall length ofthe clamps, spaced apart at an appropriate angle, which when compressedtowards one-another decreases its angle and forms an elliptical shapedbulge within the chamber walls at the throat portion of the plastic bagupon its insertion within said plastic bag, but only after the opposingends of the longitudinal male and female clamps and adjoining stubbyguide mouths have been bonded together, prior to insertion within saidstandard flexible plastic bag; said, curved quadrant assembly isarranged to have a snug tight fit with the chamber walls of the flexibleplastic bag, to maintain contact with the stubby guide mouth elementsfor applying the squeeze effort required for dispensing, plus making itpossible to fusion weld the outer chamber walls full length, on bothsides of the bag outlet, adjacent to the curved portion of the quadrantclamps to prevent misalignment of clamp jaws.
 2. A prefabricatedstandard flexible thin film plastic bag as in claim 1 whereby saidplastic bag has a conventional single track closure which offers extrasealing protection to the inserted normally dust tight curved quadrantclamps dispenser outlet.
 3. A prefabricated standard flexible thin filmplastic bag as in claim 1 whereby said plastic bag has a conventionalsingle track closure with standard elongated outlet, may be tack-weldedat the mid-point of its outlet lips, capable of being severed by thecustomer, upon the initial squeeze-to-open dispenser operation.
 4. Aprefabricated standard flexible thin film plastic bag as in claim 1whereby said prefabicated bag is cut for inserting occluded male andfemale curved quadrant clamps and adjoining stubby guide mouthattachments after which said cut is resealed.
 5. A prefabricatedstandard flexible thin film plastic bag as in claim 1 whereby saidplastic bag is made anew for a snug fit over the contour of the occludedmale and female curved quadrant clamps and adjoining stubby guide mouthattachments
 6. A prefabricated standard flexible thin film plastic bagas in claim 1 whereby only the stubby guide mouth assembly, made fromlow density polyethylene or equal, is added to said standard plastic bag7. A flexible thin film plastic bag made using the profile extrusionprocess for integrating this invention's curved quadrant clamps withadjoining stubby guide mouth attachments therewith, made from lowdensity polyethylene or equal, to form the flexible thin film plasticbag's dispenser outlet.
 8. A thin film plastic bag as in claim 5 whereina tack-weld is added at the mid-point of the closure's occludedelongated outlet lips capable of being severed by the customer upon theinitial squeeze to open dispenser operation.
 9. A small hand heldreclosable flexible thin film plastic bag, made from low densitypolyethylene or equall, having a “Zip-Loc” or equal interlockingclosure, having bag outlet 6 inches or under in length, capable of beingmanually squeezed at its opposing outlet ends, while holding said bagwith the same hand; said squeezing opens the closure, but only whenstubby guide attachments are added to the flexible thin film chamberwalls at the outlet neck portion of the plastic bag; when upon releaseof the squeeze effort the closure automatically self closes; said stubbyguide attachments being made stiff enough to withstand the squeezeeffort required to open the occluded closure, and made part of the“Zip-Loc” or equal male and female interlocking closure elements whenoriginally extruded, said guides being stubby attachments to the maleand female “Zip-Loc” or equal interlocking closure elements running fulllength of the bag outlet, each spaced at an appropriate angle, apartfrom each other sufficiently to, when compressed towards one anotherforms an elliptical shaped bulge within the chamber walls at the throatportion of the plastic bag lengthwise of the closure, said compressionrequired to bond the edges of the superimposed plastic sheets to formthe plastic bag assembly, which when grasped lengthwise and manuallysqueezed at the guide attachments, guides the mouth of the nestedclosure elements to open, and upon release of the squeeze effortautomatically occludes, all due to the addition of the stubby guidemouth attachments at the throat portion of the thin flexible plastic bagchamber walls, and the inherent resilience and plastic memory of thethermoplastic used, such as low density polyethylene.
 10. A reclosableflexible thin film plastic bag according to claims 1, 5 and 7 whereinsaid reclosable flexible thin film plastic bag length is longer than 6inches, said 6 inch and under reclosable outlet can be fastened bycater-cornering or at any other suitable location for fastening to alarger than 6 inch long plastic bag.
 11. A reclosable flexible thin filmplastic bag according to claim 7, wherein a tack-weld is added at themid-point of the closure's occluded outlet lips capable of being severedby the customer upon the initial squeeze to open dispenser operation.12. A reclosable plastic joint such as “Zip-Loc” or equal having maleand female interlocking elements may when initially extruded includestubby guide mouth attachments.
 13. The normally dust tight resilientreclosable curved quadrant clamps, made from low density polyethylene orequal may be provided with a tighter seal, by the addition ofinterlocking elements to the male convex and female concave portions ofthe curved clamps, consisting of a knobby shaped male element extendingabove full length of its mating male curved quadrant clamp, and nestedwithin its keyhole shaped female counterpart imbedded within the concaveportion of the female curved quadrant clamp when in its occludedposition.
 14. The normally dust tight resilient reclosable curvedquadrant clamps, made from low density polyethylene or equal, may beprovided with a tighter seal, by using the profile extrusion process formaking serrated notches running full length on each of the male andfemale elongated curved quadrant clamps, each with saw like teethextruded as “V” shaped intermeshing teeth approx. {fraction (1/64)} inchprojections atop the thickness of the curved quadrant clamp's nestedconcave and convex surfaces, equally spaced and parallel to thelongitudinal axis of the elongated quadrant shaped curved clamps to forma resilient intermeshing of teeth when nested in its occluded position.15. The arc length of the curved quadrant clamps, made from low densitypolyethylene or equal, may be shortened and rib reinforced at itsslotted discharge outlet.
 16. Any suitable means for making thisinvention's apparatuses, other than the profile extrusion process, maybe used.
 17. Plastic bags may be made of plastic material other than lowdensity polyethylene, as long as it is resilient, flexible and capableof being welded or bonded to low density polyethylene.
 18. Thin filmflexible plastic bags may be reinforced by the addition of stiffenersand gussets for making said bag capable of standing.